S’more Hamentashen

This past week many of my evenings have been filled with hamentashen. This year I need to make somewhere between twenty and twenty four dozen hamentashen so the freezer has been my friend. I have been baking about five doezen a night and stashing them in my freezer so I will be ready for next week. I have made a lot of different flavors of hamentashen, some more traditional and some less so, and I have a few more to try.

While I have pretty much gotten the system down to a science, every once in a while I put too much filling in one and it bursts open in the oven. Because that is the thing about hamentashen. There can only be a little bit of filling in each cookie or they will explode. This is why I think it is critical that the cookie part of the hamentashen is worth eating on its own and that the filling is intensely flavorful (this apple butter makes a fantastic filling, by the way).

But I got to thinking. What if I did something different with the next batch? What if the outside of the hamentashen was as integral to the flavor of the hamentashen as the filling? I knew I wanted to make s’more hamentashen. Rather than simply fill a hamentashen with marshmallows, chocolate and graham cracker crumbs I could make the outside of the hamentashen with a graham cracker dough and fill it with marshmallow and chocolate.

These hamentashen were a huge success. They certainly do not taste like traditional hamentashen, but they do taste just like a s’more. The dough isn’t crunchy like a graham cracker but the flavor is spot on. Using marshmallow fluff instead of marshmallows keeps the inside soft and gooey for that delicious s’more like consistency. While these hamentashen certainly won’t replace the more traditional flavors of hamentashen they are a fun addition to the assortment. I will be making another few batches of these to round out my hamentashen collection this year.

I have been making extremely tiny hamentashen (using a 2 inch cutter) this year so I don’t know exactly how many normal sized hamentashen this recipe would make, but I got approximately 3 and 1/2 dozen.

Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade or in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Pulse or mix on low to incorporate. Add the margarine and pulse on and off on and off, or mix on low, until the mixture is the consistency of a coarse meal.

In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, milk, and vanilla extract. Add to the flour mixture and pulse on and off a few times or mix on low until the dough barely comes together. It will be very soft and sticky. Lay out a large piece of plastic wrap and dust it lightly with flour, then turn the dough out onto it and pat it into a rectangle about 1-inch thick. Chill it until firm, about 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350. Remove half of the dough from the refrigerator and roll it out between two pieces of parchment paper. Cut out circles using a round cookie cutter or the top of a drinking glass and transfer the circles to a parchment lined cookie sheet. (If the dough gets too sticky while working with it place the parchment with the dough on a cookie sheet in the freezer for a few minutes) Fill four of the circles with a small amount of marshmallow fluff (less than a teaspoon) and sprinkle with a small amount of chocolate. Marshmallow fluff is very sticky so the easiest way to push it off the spoon onto the hamentashen is with a slightly wet finger. Use significantly less filling than might seem right because marshmallow fluff expands in the oven. For 2 1/2 inch circles use a scant teaspoon fluff. Fold up two sides of the circle and pinch them together. Lift the third side and pinch the remaining two corners closed. Repeat with the remaining circles. (It is important to fill no more than four hamentashen at a time because marshmallow fluff begins to ooze as soon as it is spooned out onto the dough an the hamentashen need to be folded before the filling has oozed too much). Roll out and fill the remaining dough.

Bake the hamentashen for 8-10 minutes, or until set. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely before enjoying.

One more question – the recipe calls for parve milk – I read in a different section that you use unsweetened and add flavor as necessary. So, in this recipe, should I use unsweetened milk? It sounds like there’s enough sweetness coming from the brown sugar and honey…..

These came out great, but we made a few adjustments that we wanted to share with you. First, we did not have dark brown sugar, so we used 3/4 cup of light brown sugar and a tablespoon of molasses instead. Our main reason for reducing the brown sugar, however, was that we also decided to use a cup of finely ground graham crackers in place of one of the cups of flour. We were concerned that the dough would be too sweet if we used all the sugar the original recipe called for, having switched some flour for crushed cookies, which of course already contain sugar. In addition, we added orange zest and a drop of the orange juice in place of some of the soy milk. In the end, we feel that using actual graham crackers in the dough helped preserve the authentic taste of s’mores. Happy Purim and thanks for the inspiration!

I’m glad you enjoyed these. I find that the dough itself tastes like graham cracker, but I’m glad you liked them with the additional graham cracker in the dough as well. Thank you for letting me know how you made them.

I tried making these tonight. I prepped my dough yesterday and left it in the frig overnight. When I rolled, filled, and folded the dough I worked some extra flour in because it was still very sticky. When I baked them they didn’t hold their shape well at all. They didn’t open up, they just spread and flattened out too much. The second tray I put in the freezer for a little bit to see if that helped (I do that for plenty of other cookies with good results) but they still didn’t hold their shape. I made the dough as directed but substituted rice milk for almond or soy milk. Could that be the difference?

I’m sorry to hear you had trouble with these. The dough is a rather soft dough, which is why I roll it out between parchment paper and freeze it if it is getting too sticky. I have never tried rice milk, because I like the other milks much better, so that could be the problem. Also, it could have been the filling. Did you use marshmallow fluff or marshmallow creme? The creme (jetpuff) is too soft and does not provide enough height to the filling so that could be part of the problem. Sorry again they didn’t work for you.

When you say they flatten do you mean the corners come undone and the filling spills out or do the stay in triangles but come out very flat? I am retesting them this afternoon, I’ve never had trouble so I want to figure out what is going wrong. Thanks for helping me troubleshoot.

They stayed as triangles an puffed but spread in the oven. Then they completely flattened while cooling. I thought it was the lack of egg. I rolled the dough between parchment and refrigerated for about 5 hours before cutting circles. It wa still difficult to remove from parchment. I would love to try again if I can make them look like yours. :)

DaraFebruary 21, 2013 at 9:43 am

I did weigh the ingredients except the honey which I measured. I could send a pic if that helps.

ShoshanaFebruary 22, 2013 at 12:21 am

I will try them tonight using sweetened almond milk to see if that is the problem. Did you measure to baking powder carefully? I had a batch of my regular hamentashen flatten on me for the first time this week and it was because I accidentally added too much baking powder. I’ll get back to you later tonight with my results with the other milk.

ShoshanaFebruary 22, 2013 at 12:19 am

So I tried them again tonight with the other almond milk and they came out just like the first time. The fluff does spread a lot so if they were filled too full that might be part of why they didn’t look right. I have a couple more thoughts for troubleshooting. What kind of margarine did you use? Also, are you baking at high altitude? Let me know how else I can be helpful in figuring this out.

I’m sorry the dough seemed crumbly. Did you measure by weight or volume? I measure my cups of flour by spooning and sweeping which gives a lighter amount per cup than scooping so that may be the problem. The chilling is on the refrigerator, so that it is firm enough to roll out. I hope you like them, let me know if you have any other problems and I will try to help troubleshoot.

HI! I made these tonight. I have “mixed emotions about them.” They did not end up looking like hamentashen. They opened and lost their shape, etc.” The overall taste is really good, (and a wonderful idea!) though I would reduce the salt and even some sugar next time. Thank you!!!!

I’m sorry they didn’t come out looking like you had hoped. The fluff really expands in the oven so if you use too much the hamentashen will bust open and flatten. I use less than a teaspoon in 2 1/2 inch circles and that puffs up to be plenty. I’m glad you at least liked the taste!

Hi Shoshana! I arrived at your blog from The Baking Sisters, and I am *blown away* by this Hamantaschen idea!! I’m always looking for creative hamantaschen interpretations, and this changes EVERYTHING! I wasn’t going to make them this year, but these definitely need to be made pronto, even if I’m a little late for the holiday. I am drooling just thinking about them!! I’ve been wanting to try Smitten Kitchen’s graham cracker recipe for ages too, so this is the perfect reason. Thanks so much for this idea– I can’t wait to check out other recipes on your blog! :)

This recipe is actually made with marshmallow fluff which does not contain gelatin at all and is widely available with kosher certification. Kosher marshmallows do exist, there are several brands that make them, usually with fish gelatin. Elyon brand is available in most Whole Foods stores as well as in kosher grocery sections. Hope that helps.

I am always looking for interesting hamantashen recipes, and I was thrilled when I found this one! The batch just came out of the oven… They smell (and taste!) fantastic. But, I seem to have had the same problem that a few other reviewers have noted: they are almost completely flat! They were higher when they first came out… They kept their triangular shape pretty well, but after 15 minutes of cooling, they’re totally flattened. They will definitely be a delicious addition to my hamantashen collection this year — I just wish they were higher.

I made these today and they were amazing! I had to use palm shortening and whole marshmallows due to food allergies, and the dough was easy to work with, without chilling it first, and they stayed together. My son who is allergic to eggs and corn products was very happy to have real nearsightedness this Purim. Thanks!

These sound great. Started buying the ingredients today because I want to make them with my kids when they are off next week. I just had a question. Does it have to be I bleached flour? Can it be all purpose bleached flour? Does it have to be kosher salt? What kind of chocolate do you use?

I generally use unbleached all purpose flour, but I imagine bleached flour would be fine. Regular salt would work fine in place of the kosher salt but use a scant teaspoon since it is more densely salty than the kosher salt. I usually use callbeaut semi sweet dark chocolate, but any chocolate would work fine. Hope that helps.

That is actually not true. Everything on my blog is strictly kosher. Non kosher brands of marshmallows are made with porcine gelatin, that is true. However kosher marshmallows do exist (and I make them myself as well) that use fish gelatin instead. Additionally, these hamentashen actually don’t use marshmallows at all but instead use marshmallow fluff which does not contain any gelatin at all. Hope that clears things up.

Wow! A friend shared this recipe with me – they look AMAZING! My daughter just looked over my shoulder and asked if we need to wait until Purim to make them! :) A quick question – I’m assuming that you’re using margarine & almond milk to make the parve. Have you tried them with butter and regular milk (obviously a dairy dessert)? Just figured I would make them with what I have on hand so we can make them asap! :) And for those who are asking about marshmallows, Fluff is kosher – my vegetarian sister eats it with a spoon. :)

WOW! coolest hamantaschen ever!!!! I have seen a lot of recipes that use butter and others that use oil and I haven’t made one with butter so i’m not sure if the taste will be different, I guess I will have to give it a go. This seems super practival as well I love that you made the dough ahead of time so that you can just put it out and make the cookies fresh.
thanks for the recipes!http://www.batelmiller.wordpress.com

I think that brownie batter makes a delicious hamentashen filling, but it wouldn’t work well in this recipe. Because the marshmallow fluff expands in the oven it is important not to overfill these hamentashen or they open up too much in the oven. You wouldn’t be able to add enough brownie batter to make it worth it without the whole thing collapsing. If you wanted to use brownie batter for a s’more hamentashen I would recommend using the graham cracker dough with brownie batter, and then pushing a mini marshmallow into the top of the brownie part right when it comes out of the oven. I haven’t tried that myself but I think it should work.

Hello, I am planning to make these for Purim next week. I am creating a Smores Mishloach Manot theme. I accidentally bought light brown sugar. Think I need to go back to the store to buy dark brown sugar? Any thoughts as to the flattening issues mentioned above? Do you think they were over-stuffed with fluff?

I think that the light brown sugar should be fine. The key to not having them flatten is to make sure the dough is rolled or cut very thin and not to overfill them. The amount of filling you should use will look very skimpy but it expands a lot in the oven.

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